Week of Nothingness

We have had more than a full week off from school, and I can't even begin tell you how I have filled the many endless hours. Although there has been lots of sleep and lots of books, I am at a loss for additional details. With the exception of yesterday's events, the past two weeks have all become a blur for me.

It has been so cold here in Georgia that I have not been able to tolerate any activity outdoors. The thirty degree temps haven't prevented the boys from being outside and playing a rowdy game of football, but I have remained indoors since the snow fall late Christmas Day. Yes, we did have a white Christmas right here in the middle of Low Country.

Yesterday, on our way to post, I explained that warmer temperatures were expected by the end of the week. So warm, in fact, that we would probably be outside in shorts. That simple word. Shorts. Started the boys clapping and squealing with joy all the way to post. All six miles were filled with cheers and clapping. I almost lost my hearing in both ears, but I was so happy with the news myself that I couldn't put an end to the celebration. No doubt the pawn guard thought I had a couple of "special" children because the boys continued to clap all through the gate.

I can't even begin to understand why I once thought a move to Bavaria, Germany or Fort Carson, Colorado would be a good fit for my family.

When we finally made it to the commissary to pick up a few ingredients for the famous Pagel Taco Soup, the boys walked hand-in-hand through the aisles drawing attention to themselves with their wearing full football gear and pulling dares on each other that included various references to potty humor and eating mayonaise sandwiches. Clearly this was not a day of bribes. All the while, I stood in the dairy aisle debating the necessity of real butter in chocolate chip cookies. I decided to give Land of Lakes a try, and after last night's batch, there is no turning back.

I can't even begin to understand why I once thought the absence of real butter would make a difference in the family cookie recipe.

The long afternoon was filled with the dismantling of the Christmas tree. I carefully wrapped every ornament and every Christmas dish because just as soon as I don't, we will have orders to move. All seven of the red and green storage boxes were carried from the attic, filled with Christmas decore, and then stacked nicely at the bottom of the steps to the attic in hopes that they would actually be placed in the attic by the end of January. I didn't even begin to touch the Christmas lights hanging on the roof line.

I can't even begin to understand why I once thought the hanging of Christmas lights would be a good idea for a family whose husband is either away at school or at some death scene just about every waking hour.

And to think this is how my life has transpired the past week - just full of deep thoughts. When I asked Evan what he thought about two full weeks with nothing to do, he said, "There has been a lot of no thinking going on." 

Santa's Big Surprise

This clip definitely says we are living in Georgia. Listen to that accent!

It makes complete sense that Keagan would be screaming with excitement, and Evan would say in a quiet, calm voice, "Just what I wanted."

Meanwhile, we have had this going on all morning.

The neighbors love us.

Christmas Eve

We began the day opening gifts from our family back in Texas. 

Evan's Bakugan Colossus. 

Keagan's Batman Joker Cave to go with his Batman Cave. Oma wrapped it in an old Vaporizer box, and Keagan has never been so disappointed to open a present. "Oma, why did you do this to me? I want toys; not medicines! I'm not even sick!" 

Much to my family's misgivings, we do have a Longhorn fan living among us. 

I will leave you, though, with this. At least I know that if this whole sports thing doesn't work out for Keagan, he has the big stage.

And that's a wrap! Merry Christmas!

Just Bribe Them

They were so good in the commissary today. There were no fights over who would push the buggy. No one begged for Reeces Christmas trees or Captain Crunch. No one wrestled in the produce section, and they even went so far as to help me unload the buggy at the check-out counter instead of browsing the headlines of Army Times and drooling over the candy rack. So I let them open one gift early.

Yes, from time to time, I do bribe the boys. Used in moderation it can be very successful in yielding positive results. Today is one such example.

Alligator Farm

We wrapped up our trip to Florida with a morning trip to the Alligator Farm. I'm not quite sure why the photo op included a tortoise, but these pictures turned out better than anything that had an alligator in the background.

If I had known that millions of alligators lurking through a swamp would bring such joy to my little boys, then I would have gladly avoided the entire Kung Zhu fiasco and the struggle I had on aisle 31 of Target last month trying to score a Kung Zu Battle Arena. I would have spent two days at the alligator farm to avoid the mess with toy rats that wear shields and battle for supremacy in an octagon - even if it meant forty degree weather and a komodo dragon had to accompany the alligators in a Florida swamp.



I think it's safe to say that the boys loved the alligator farm, and Keagan deemed this year's trip the "best Christmas trip ever!"

I'm hoping the plush rats and the battle arena bring the same level of joy on Christmas morning.

I Had Good Intentions

Dear New Neighbor One Street Over,

We wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood, and since it is the week before Christmas, we thought Christmas cookies and candy would be an appropriate way to welcome you to Parish Crossing. I made peanut butter balls yesterday afternoon. I made three dozen and the Hershey kisses melted just perfectly in the middle of the peanut butter. Unfortunately, they were eaten this morning when I thought I would sleep in on this, my second day, of Christmas vacation. It seems my two little boys decided they made a healthy breakfast choice. 
I also made a large batch of chocolate fudge. It took me a good half hour to boil the sugar and butter combination, and I stirred it non-stop for a full four minutes - something I usually have little patience for. Imagine my surprise when I found that it actually set into a real batch of fudge. However, this afternoon, after a game of football in the yard, the boys, my own including the neighborhood boys, came in for a snack. This is what I found in the kitchen when they returned to the yard.

I am not predicting much success with the sugar cookies either. They are my favorite after all.
However, we have a daily game of football taking place in our front yard pretty much 24/7. Please join us one day this week.

Merry Christmas and Welcome!

Eyeliner and Football Brackets

I play sports. I watch sports. I like sports. However, if I must endure one more story or monologue from Evan about some random football headline, then I might lose it. I really don't care that the Kansas City QB was/is (I don't even remember because I was trying to find my happy place about mid-story) out for emergency surgery. I don't need to know the records of every NFL football team. Although, I think I was told this week that the North Carolina Panthers have the worst. I didn't even remember they were a team until it was brought to my attention on Saturday. Frankly, I could care less if the Bears or the Vikings win Monday night's football game.

But it doesn't end with the endless headline recaps or various pieces of trivia. The boys have countless brackets and score cards written on crumpled paper lying all over the house. I am doing at least a load of laundry a day to keep their multiple uniform changes for every hour clean. We have miniature helmets set up in a bracket on the dining room table, and Keagan constanly raids my make up bag for black eyeliner so that he can draw blackout stickers under his eyes. 

This morning I was awakened at the terrible hour of 7:58 with, "Mom, can we go outside to play football?" When I said no, Evan took it in stride and then went to the living room and turned on Sports Center in a volume level reserved for nursing homes. The same headlines heard on TV will no doubt be repeated within the day, in between uniform changes and drinks of water, because it will be assumed I was able to sleep through all that noise and didn't catch it the first time around.

Oh, who am I kidding? I do find it all a bit endearing. Otherwise, I wouldn't have this awaiting the boys on Christmas morning.

With blackout stickers included, my eyeliner will now remain in its rightful place: my make up bag.

A Perfect Fit

A couple of months ago, when I tried to reassure myself that teaching elementary school on a military installation would be a perfect fit for me, I made a list of all of the reasons why teaching the little ones was so great. In that list, I totally forgot that your students like you and are eager to show you how much they like you.

Today I was completely blown away when a little girl used her two dollars to buy me a Christmas gift from the PTA holiday shop. This is the same little girl that will PCS to Germany in January, and she doesn't have one pair of shoes with solid soles. Her poor little feet will be frozen walking around in six inches of snow. This is the same little girl that wears t-shirts with holes and pants a size or two too small.

And she remembered me with a gift.

I am honored.

Again, I was without words when another boy told me he would be moving in the spring when his mom has made plans to separate from the military. He said his mom is saving up to buy a new car (they currently don't have any transportation unless a friend drives the family of six some place), and as a result, the five kids would probably go without gifts this year. When I asked what he thought about this, he told me it was okay because at least they would be together. He said, "It could be worse. My mom could be in Iraq."

Another student used his allowance to buy me a necklace. It has a silver charm in the shape of a snail with tiny pink stones. It is really meant for a seven year old girl, but I will wear it with pride. It is beautiful in my eyes.

These past few months have made me realize that military kids are the absolute best kids. They live often in difficult situations and yet they almost always have the most generous hearts and the best outlook on life.

Christmas Break = Christmas Trip

Christmas Break is here! For two full weeks we have no basketball, no homework, and no schedule to keep. 

Every year we try to take the kids on a small weekend trip prior to Christmas; our intention is to spend time together, experience something new, and just get-a-way from the stress of the holiday. We also use the trip as a family gift; it replaces toys and "things" that no one really needs. It is one of my favorite family traditions. 

This year we chose Saint Augustine, Florida.

Stop #1: Fountain of Youth
I drank the water that bubbles from a rock, and I'm holding fast to the idea of the magical waters keeping me young. At the very least, I am hoping it keeps me from finding any more gray hairs this week.

Stop #2: Castillo
I've seen so many forts in the past four months, that there wasn't much more I would want to know about fortifications. But this one was built by the Spanish and had a cannon firing; we couldn't resist.

Stop #3: Pirates Treasure Museum
This was a wonderful museum about the history of piracy. We shot cannons, raised the Jolly Roger, searched for treasure, and learned about female pirates. It was all very fascinating.

Stop #4: Ripley's Believe It or Not
Boys loved it. It's an hour of my life I will never get back. 

Stop #5: Santa Train Through Nights of Lights

We took the Santa train through the downtown area that is decorated with Christmas lights, and we stopped at Santa's Workshop to make snow and crafts. The evening was topped off with a visit with Santa.

We arrived having no idea that we would have so much fun. It has been a perfect get-a-way.

This and That

I have a million little tid-bits I want to write about, and although I could try to make a separate blog for each, my story lines get lost between cleat rescue 101: what to do when shoes get stuck on the roof, meal preparation number 7 for the day, and endless battle cries of "In Your Face, Sucker!"

So here it goes.

If you are ever in Savannah during the month of December, you must see "The Journey". It is an interactive story celebrating the birth of Christ hosted by one of the local mega-churches, and it is fantastic - even if you happen to attend with another 1800 people or so.

Basketball season is upon us and filling our every last free hour. I relented to the endless pleas to play, and I fully expected Evan to be blown off the court with a bunch of little Michael Jordans on his team. Instead, I was blown away to find Evan was actually good. He is the tallest player by at least three inches, and if it weren't for his ceaseless yells of "Pass, Pass!" to all of his teammates, then it would actually be enjoyable to watch him play. The other parents have now begun to refer to Evan as "The Boy Who Always Yells Pass"; the only Michael Jordan-esque playing we got going on is Evan's tongue hangin' out of his mouth with every dribble of the ball. Our first game is in January; please let us win just one game.

Despite the version created on the television show NCIS, there is nothing glamorous about being a criminal investigator for the military. Especially when your husband comes home and says, "Don't touch those clothes. They have a murder victim's blood all over them." Even more so when I spend the next three days stepping over them because touching them does seem worse than having them sit in the middle of my laundry room.

Yesterday I stood in line behind Keagan to board a trolley in Savannah, and Keagan stepped to the side, and said, "Ladies first." I boarded first, and then when it came time to get off the trolley, he stepped aside to let me out of my seat first. I have no idea where he learned this, but Puffy Hair Girl has made quite the catch!

Yesterday Keagan also told me, "Mom, I don't need any Christmas presents as long as I have you with me." Puffy Hair Girl, step aside. Let it be known that you have caught a Mama's Boy, and because I am perfectly okay with this, don't expect it to change anytime soon.

Saint Nickolas Day

The boys awoke this morning to find Wes's combat boots filled with goodies. After eight years, the tradition we brought with us from Germany continues. Long gone are the coveted Thomas the Train days. This year's special boot stuffer? Pokemon cards!

It's Just Ludacris!

On Sunday, Evan was invited to a birthday party on post at one of the bowling alleys. He needed a present. I needed an Estee Lauder product, and there is only one place in Hinesville that sells them both. Thankfully, it isn't Wal-Mart.

And so we headed to the PX. Usually this isn't a big deal, but the entire weekend included "Welcome Home" celebrations for the 1st BCT. The PX parking lot was partitioned off for ice skating, bounce houses, photos with Santa, face painting... in other words, craziness. Everyone, even those not associated with 1st BCT, was looking for something to do - something other than browsing the aisles of the local Wal-Mart - so it was CROWDED!!!

Despite the people, we had to stop in the PX. I noticed the long lines at the front gate (about half a mile away). I noticed the MWR stage. I heard the loud noise. But none of it kept me from my mission: Estee Lauder foundation is a must in winter. Evan and I pushed our way through the parking lot, and finally found our way inside the building when we noticed a line of people wrapped around the food court, interspersed through random kiosks selling Lord knows what, and even into the front of the store where women's clothing sits for sale. There we saw huge cameras, television crews, and news reporters. MPs and county police officers were standing everywhere.

I tapped a young African American girl on the shoulder and asked, "What's going on?"
She asked, with one eye on her camera and one eye down the aisle through boys' clothing, "Girl! You don't know! It's ludicrous!"
I responded, "Yeah, it's crazy, but why?"
She said, "You a white girl. You probly don't know. Girl, it's Ludacris! The singer! He be here any minute!"

Here I was in a crowd of people way bigger than the crowds at the Shangri La Chinese Acrobats Show. I think it might have even rivaled the crowds waiting to see Chuck Liddell. I was in way over my head, but my need for Lucidity Natural Beige was so great, I couldn't back out. Not now.

Evan and I meandered our way to the make-up counter and got ready to check out. Just then we heard loud cheering, and people started going crazy jumping up on shelves and displays of Coke to catch a glimpse. I was there and decided I might as well, too. Evan and I elbowed our way back to the crowds, and I saw three black guys. I had no idea which one was Ludacris. That's when my wise friend, the one I approached upon entering the store said, "Oh, he be prettier on TV. In real life he so short."

I looked at Evan, and asked, "Do you see him?"
He responded, "What's the big deal? It's a short brown dude!"

I agreed. So we took our Lucidity Natural Beige, our birthday present, our Transformers gift bag, and we headed for the check out line. We were the only ones actually purchasing so we didn't wait long.

Let me tell you that experience was just Ludacris!

O Christmas Tree

Guess what was in Keagan's take-home folder this week?

No, it wasn't another phone number.

Worse.

Another family art project.

After a week of designing a costume for a paper turkey, we now have to decorate a paper Christmas tree.

Keagan's teacher must have it in for me.

Do you know how hard it is to twist foil to look like silver garland, and then get it to stick to construction paper?

I am plotting some type of revolt if we are required to decorate a bunny at Easter.

867-5309

This past week, while eating our first barbecue dinner in Texas (I say that only because we had three barbecue dinners and all but the first one were good - really good), Evan revealed to us that Keagan has a girlfriend. In our house, this is usually said to embarrass the other brother, and it's usually not meant to be taken very seriously. After all, the last thing that any eight year old or six year old boy wants is a girlfriend - especially when we all know how "annoying" girls are. However, on this night Keagan didn't say too much to discount the story. In fact, he later elaborated with the following physical description: She has "puffy hair like a popcorn ball", but when you look at her face "it is really very pretty."

When Keagan came home from school today, he was more than excited to tell me that he had something special in his pocket. I guessed a piece of candy because he does behave from time to time (I know, shocker!) and receive random rewards. No, that was not it.

I guessed another blue slip because it has been a week since he has been recognized for his speed and/or agility in PE. No, that was not it.

I guessed a birthday invitation, and that wasn't it either.

With one sleek move of his wrist, Keagan pulled out a tiny piece of paper and waved it in front of my face.

It was a phone number. Instantly, visions of puffy haired little girls swam in my head, and I created a myriad of excuses of why we would not be able to use any phone in our house for probably the next week. Maybe never. I was so caught up with my creative excuses, I almost missed his next sentence.

"Do you think Aidan and I can have a play date this week?"

Incredibly, all of our phones were back in working order.

When Wes got home, he commented that he couldn't believe Keagan came home with a phone number, and that's when I told him he should be relieved that it's not Puffy Hair's number.

A play date with Aidan is forthcoming.

Thanksgiving with Family

Every time we make the trip to Texas, I feel like our week is packed with appointments to see people. Every time I leave, I say our next trip will be different. We will have free time and unscheduled days. I promise that we will be able to spend the week without a calendar of events.

Unless, of course, it includes tickets to a Cowboy game.

One day this week, while visiting family, Evan met my ten year old cousin that he last saw in 2004 when Evan was two years old. Within minutes the two had escaped the adults, and while walking through the pasture outside my aunt's house, Evan and Sam were found in deep conversation. They seemed to have found something in common (even if it has yet to be identified). Later that afternoon, Evan asked, "Where's that kid been all this time?" 

Note to self: Make more "appointments" to see family so your kids actually know who they are and refer to family members by name instead of with non-descript phrases like "that kid."

When you are in Texas, in a pasture with a big red barn, hanging on a rusty gate while meeting your long lost cousin, pictures are in order. 

Tree Lighting Ceremony

Christmas already? It's really hard for me to think about Christmas when I am surrounded my warm weather, flip flops, and palm trees here in Georgia. While in Texas, though, the boys attended the annual tree lighting ceremony in Wes's hometown. Would you know the boys were seen on the local 6:00 evening news during a spot taken at the ceremony? 

Thankfully, the camera man deleted the footage of Keagan doing the robot while Christmas carols played in the background. 

Keagan thinks he is now famous, but he has no idea how famous he could have been had the greater East Texas population caught a glimpse of his version of the robot on live TV.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

For the two people that read my blog, I have to tell you that the Cowboys game was everything that we expected and then some. After whines and cries and protests with the decision to stay in a hotel in Dallas Saturday night instead of driving straight to Opa and Oma's, I had to tell the boys that we had a surprise for the next day.

The next morning we were in the rental car driving parallel to the stadium, completely oblivious that we were on the wrong side of the railroad tracks because we were all captivated by the sheer size of the stadium, and Keagan asked, "This is our surprise? A real surprise would be to go in the stadium and watch the game. Not drive by it." He said this while pretending he was totally not impressed. However, Evan, our sweet, sweet Evan, said, "Driving by it and seeing the stadium in person is surprise enough for me."

Wes and I had tears because we couldn't even imagine how he would react when he found out we were actually planning to go into the stadium.

We pulled into the parking lot of some sketchy motel with the catchy name, "Fiesta", where we had scored cheap parking, and Wes pulled out four tickets to the game. Surprise, Boys!

And nothing was said.

At all.

The boys were in shock for a good five minutes, but when it became more real for them, their ear-to-ear smiles said it all. It was an added bonus that we won the game, and an even bigger surprise for us to run into friends of ours that we knew from church while living in Virginia.

We had our fill of frito pie, more than our fill of Cowboy cheerleaders, and plenty of opportunities to cheer and raise the noise meter, but we already look forward to our next game. 

Tradition That's Hard to Break

It's a tradition that we started in Virginia and continued in Georgia. Tonight we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner that included the agents in Wes's office and their family members. Even with many agents from our office deployed and several out on a case, I think I still counted 36 people. Sadly, I knew the names of only three people in the room. I felt like a general's wife with fake smiles, offers of more potatoes, and all the while hoping to God the strangers' little ones didn't spill soda on my brand new barstools. Then I realized that I was that OLD general's wife when one spouse told me she graduated highschool in 2004. Dear God!

Next year, I am planning every detail of the event, and I am leaving the soldiers out of it. Maybe next year we will actually have someone bring forks, and we might have something other than two turkeys, 10 pounds of mashed potatoes, 5 pounds of green beans, and 100 dinner rolls.

Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats

This evening we had tickets to the see The Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats. This same show in DC would have surely cost us $50 a pop, but because the show was performed on a military installation in the middle of Lost-on-the-Coast-of-Georgia, the tickets were cheap. Unfortunately, we were about the only family who thought $10 a ticket was cheap. MWR was practically giving away the tickets this past week because no one cared that a world renown group was performing on post. Of course, most of the people around this here place think world renown includes the driver of some fast car or a fighter wearing a TapOut t-shirt. I guarantee you that last month's day out with Chuck Liddell was much better received and anticipated.

However, I wanted to see the show, and I persuaded the boys that they wanted to see the show, too. One mention of thrown swords and a touch of Kung Fu was all that was needed. I purposefully neglected to mention bright costumes, balancing acts, and anything related to acrobats. On Thursday afternoon, the boys thought we were about to watch a fight scene from Karate Kid.

Even without one fight scene, the boys were impressed, and they even clapped at all the right times. Perhaps Evan was a bit bored at times, though, because in the middle of the contortionist's act, when the young girl is doing amazing things with her body, when we are all wondering, "How is that possible?", he leaned over and asked, "When was the Korean war fought, Mom?"

And for a split second I was stumped. Not because I didn't know the date, but I realized that answering his question, would undoubtedly lead to a discussion about the reasons for a North and South Korea. Something I had no desire to address when some girl in front of me is balancing on her big toe with both legs hyperextended and resting on top of her head.

So I said, "When Opa was a teenager."

Let him ponder that for a while. He must have, too, because nothing else was said.

I feel like spinning plates balanced on sticks and/or small tables twirled on the bottom of the foot of a certain young boy could be a real possibility this weekend. Good thing we will be traveling and it won't be our own plates or tables.

Boys, Football, and Dallas

Shhh! This is a complete surprise for the boys, but on Sunday we have tickets to see the Cowboys play in the new Cowboy Stadium. For a non-Texan, this might not sound very exciting, but most Dallasites will tell you that seeing a Cowboy game from some place other than your living room couch is like a rite of passage for young boys. A rite of passage that my 35 year old husband is hell bent on experiencing in this late stage of his life. So hell bent that when I reminded him that we could take a Greek Cruise for about the same amount of money, he gave me the look, and I knew I could close the browser window entitled "Summer in Winter in Greece" without further discussion.

Allow me to mention that our seats are so high up that you must watch the Jumbotron to see the details of any play. The irony is we could probably see more if we were at home watching the game from our living room couch. And I know we could definitely eat cheaper while sitting on the couch at home. I already forsee next summer's vacation spent in the hot dog line.

But we are hoping it will be worth the money and extreme hassle of renting a car, getting a hotel room, and driving to Savannah to pick up our tickets when we see our two little boys' faces light up when we arrive at the stadium.

Just maybe we will be lucky enough to witness the third win of the season! If so, there will be two more people all smiles.

What'll Have

 What'll Ya Have? 

We'll have a weekend filled with soccer games at the annual Kohl's Cup. Our entire season was played in preparation for this tourney. No one expected us to score, much less win. But we did. We won one game, and no team felt obliged to play keep-a-way with our boys because the scores remained really close in all of the games. That was success in and of itself.

We'll have a win and watch Evan play offense. Evan has played goalie and defense all year, and in the last half of the last game, Coach put Evan in as a striker. Evan played his heart out. It was reminiscent of the good old days in Virginia when he played offense for Team United. 

We'll have a morning at the Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta. We saw sharks, sea urchins, sting rays, and so much more. The boys loved it!

We'll have lunch at The Varsity, the famous burger joint in downtown Atlanta that has each cashier yelling, "What'll Ya Have" as you step up to order. We had seen this place on the Food Network and we thought it would be a fun place to stop for a quick lunch. Wes had the chili cheese dawg and said his life was complete now that he had the best hot dog chili ever. Perhaps my palette is just not sophisticated enough to recognize good chili when tasted, but my palette can tell you I had the best onion rings ever!

Bad Words

Keagan: Mom, are the A word and B word bad words?

Me: (I have no idea what he is talking about but I nod my head.) Absolutely! You must not ever say those words, Keagan. Even thinking those words in your mind and heart is wrong and a sin in God's eye.

Keagan: What do the A word and B word start with?

I think this means that I'm not the only one who has no idea what he is talking about.

Fort Pulaski

It is "Vetenarian's Day", and to show our patriotism and our gratitude to all of our military friends old and new, Wes and I sat around the house this morning while Keagan played "checkards" with Oma, and Evan played football with Opa. When I decided that there had to be more to the holiday than taunts like "You're going down, Oma," and "You really need to work on your passing game, Opa," I made the executive decision to make the drive to Fort Pulaski outside of Savannah. Wes wasn't thrilled with the idea and claimed he was "forted" out (afterall, we have visited at least four since we moved to Georgia in June), but I gave him the look, and he was packing the car in no time. And it's a good thing because it was beautiful!

The boys packed their Civil War era muskets and decided the battle was on. Keagan shot every person he saw, and it was so annoying that even the elderly visiting the site were not endeared. (I say this because they are usually captivated by Keagan's big blue eyes, freckles, and quick wit.)

Evan claimed to be embarrassed by his little brother, but he did his fair share of shootin' up the place. He aimed for the alligator in the moat, though, so no one seemed to mind nearly as much.

In the midst of Civil War era battles and shoot-outs, though, the boys earned their Junior Ranger badges. Evan views this accomplishment as a perfect segway into a new hobby - Junior Ranger badge collections. This of course means we must now re-visit every battle ground in the immediate area, and I know one person who might not be up to that. However, Opa and Oma have only seen Pulaski so with some encouragement, Evan just might have the opportunity to see them again.

Gators Undefeated

Evan's Gator soccer team played its last regular season soccer game today in Savannah. After our poor performance at Jekyll this past summer, I wondered if I would ever see Evan win a game again. So we were all pretty pumped to not only win but have an undefeated season. I think Evan might have been excited.

There's no doubt that all of the boys were excited.

The coach even celebrated by allowing the kids to spray paint his hair green and white. The team's next stop is state in Atlanta. 

All of the dads, with the exception of Evan's, have agreed to shave their heads if we win state.

Aim, Shoot, Celebrate

We celebrated Evan's birthday Friday night with a laser tag party. The boys loved it, and best of all, it was great to be surrounded by family and so many of our new friends.

This next week four families associated with Heifer International will awake with flocks of chicks at their doors with the donations and generosity of our friends. When Evan first decided to do this in lieu of gifts from friends, he thought the chicks would be sent to our house, and then we would distribute them. I had to explain that we would not actually see the chicks but trust that the chicks would make it to the right people. He seemed to be okay with this, but our discussion made me wonder. When we originally visited the website, Evan had first selected a water buffalo. Where did he think we would keep a water buffalo?

Texas Turkey

 Different teacher. Different school. Different state. Yet, Keagan has been assigned the exact same assignment completed by Evan two years ago when he was in kindergarten. Evan dressed his turkey as a pirate. Keagan dressed his as a cowboy.

I am just relieved to have it done! There aren't any family bonding moments created in this family when arts and crafts are involved. That is unless you count power struggles and color wheel battles. Somehow I don't think that is what the teacher had in mind, though.

I think Keagan might be just as happy to have it done. He knows how compulsive I am, and he can't believe he completed the project with no hot glue burns!

Then and Now Eight Years Later

 Eight years ago, we were blessed with the early arrival of this bundle of joy. 

Today I have a bundle of joy that eats as much as an adult male but cries with the injustice of every little-brother-mishap. In other words, my baby is now eight.

Here Are the Eight Things I Love About my Eight Year Old:
1) Evan's smile. When I catch it on camera, it absolutely makes the picture - any picture.

2) Evan's reasoning skills. He can only think in black and white. For instance, I asked him to spray Pam on the sides of the crock pot so our roast wouldn't stick. He sprayed the sides, alright, but the OUTSIDE of the crock pot.

3) Evan's passion for football. In the yard playing football with his brother, on the Wii playing Madden, wearing his multiple jerseys, watching the NFL, reading a book on famous football players...He can never tire of it.

4) Evan's opinions. He is always right. There have been times when I have detested it, but overall, I LOVE having a boy that can think for himself and establish a well-thought out opinion.

5) Evan's ability to empathize with others. What eight year old requests that friends buy chicks for a family in Africa instead of receiving birthday gifts? After reading "Give a Goat", he did just that.

6) Evan's running. He runs with his head cocked to the side so that he can run against his shadow. After eight years and lots of races, he claims lots of ties.

7) Evan's competitiveness. Who doesn't want to win, though?

8) Evan's big brown eyes. Absolutely LOVE them.

Happy Birthday, Evan!

Trick or Treat

Because Halloween falls on a Sunday this year, the town of Hinesville decided trick or treat hours should be moved to Saturday. We were even "issued" times that trick or treating would be allowed. 

Could we be in the deep South AND in a military town? 

Just maybe.

The costumes are held together with safety pins, and even with the pins, they just barely stayed together for the big night. Because of the generousity of our neighbors, no doors were knocked down, and no squirts from the water gun were necessary. However, Evan may need therapy after stopping at this house.

He told me, "I think that guy might be a little crazy because he is dressed as a woman!"